Guest_Jim_* Posted August 20, 2015 Posted August 20, 2015 Better light sources has been a goal for humanity for a very long time, as brighter light makes it easier to see and more efficient sources means we have the light for longer. Today some of the most advanced lighting technologies utilize LEDs to directly create light from electricity, but these tend to be expensive and put off an unappealing light. Quantum dots could help change that though, especially with the advances Oregon State University has recently made. Quantum dots are nanocrystals of semiconductors that can have their optical properties tuned as desired, so they can emit whatever color you want. In theory they can be made very easily, but so far this has not quite proven to be the case. The OSU researchers however have developed a new production method that might just do it. It utilizes a continuous flow chemical reactor, so chemicals can be continuously mixed instead of in discrete batches, and a microwave heating technology. This is similar in concept to the microwave ovens we have in our homes, but enables such precise heat control that it is possible to control the size, shape, and composition of the quantum dots. It too can also operate very quickly. In addition to speeding up the process and cutting costs, the researchers were working with copper indium diselenide instead of cadmium. This change makes the process safe, as cadmium is highly toxic, and copper indium diselenide also has a higher energy conversion efficiency. Source: Oregon State University Back to original news post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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